US, ASEAN urged to press Cambodia on ‘crackdown’

[geovalin]

Local groups hope Washington, regional bloc will hold Cambodia to task for ‘abuse of power in cracking down on opposition party members and activists’

By Lauren Crothers

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia – Election-monitoring, legal and human rights groups called on U.S. and ASEAN leaders Tuesday to press Cambodia on its human rights record and ability to hold fair elections when they hold multilateral talks next week.

The upcoming meeting, scheduled to take place in California on Feb. 15-16, is being touted as another opportunity for to “strengthen cooperation under the new U.S.-ASEAN strategic partnership” launched in November in Kuala Lumpur, according to a White House statement last year.

The 12 signatories of a letter released Tuesday expressed hope that Cambodia’s democratic ASEAN partners, as well as Washington, will hold it to task for the “abuse of power in cracking down on opposition party members and activists”.

It also drew attention to “excessive and arbitrary charges brought by the government without legitimate grounds, and enforced by a weak and partial judiciary, against political party members and activists”.

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